The number of visitors in hotels and other accommodation establishments in Q2 of this year comprised 471.2 thousand people, which is 10.5% more than in the same period of the last year.

In total there were 8.6% more visitors in the 1st half of 2013 than in the same period of the previous year. Of these 69.7% were foreign tourists and 30.3% – residents of Latvia. Similar breakdown of visitors was also in the previous quarters. Increase in the number of foreign visitors comprised 12.3%, but in the number of Latvian travellers – 6.5% if compared to Q2 of the previous year, according to data of the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

The highest share of the foreign tourists stayed in Rīga – 78.7%, in Jūrmala – 8.4% and in Liepāja – 1.5%. The highest share of the Latvian travellers stayed in Rīga – 24.4%, Liepāja – 8.3% and Jūrmala – 6.7%. Positions of the three cities named before does not change significantly in the general structure of places where visitors were welcomed.

In Q2 of 2013 the total number of overnight stays comprised 971.1 thousand, which is 6.8% more than in Q2 of 2012. Also in the 1st half of 2013 number of overnight stays has increased, it was 0.8% more than in the same period of the previous year. Average length of stay of foreign visitors in Q2 comprised 2.1 nights.

At the end of Q2 15.7 thousand rooms and 36.4 thousand beds were available in accommodation establishments.

Total room occupancy in Latvia in Q2 varied between 40% and 55%. The highest room occupancy was in June both in Latvia in general – 55.4%, and in Rīga – 68.3%. Analysing hotel occupancy rate by stars granted, the highest room occupancy in Q2 was in Riga’s four-star hotels with 79.9% in June.

As compared to Q2 of the previous year, the number of tourists from neighbouring countries has increased: from Belarus – by 53.4%, from Russia – by 37.2%, from Lithuania – by 23.9% and from Estonia – by 14.8%. Also significant increase in this quarter was observed in the number of visitors from Poland – by 42.8%. From countries mentioned and depicted below for the longest period of time in Latvian accommodation establishments stayed visitors from Belarus (3.6 nights), Norway (2.5 nights) and the United Kingdom (2.3 nights).

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